Song of the Sea
by Cellie8705
Summary: AU. Sora is a merman. Leon and Aerith take care of him after his mother's death. After certain events, Sora is forced to leave them. Years later, he searches for his family with Riku's help. RikuSora. Please R&R  *Hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: For my loyal readers who have been with me from the beginning, I'm sorry for not updating more in the South Park fandom. I'll be working on those stories still and I will put them up, but this is something that my muse kept bugging me about, so I just wrote this to get it off my chest. My current obsession is with Kingdom Hearts, and I also have a sudden obsession with merpeople. I must be hanging around Atlantica too much in KH2.

This is my first KH fic, so it might not be the greatest, but I'll give it my best. This story is an AU, and is somewhat of a parody. And, one more thing. This story is slash (m/m relations). If you are offended with this, then this story is not for you. I will not accept flames, but constructive criticism is, however, accepted. I'm always willing to work on my flaws with my writing and make it better. Okay, enough of my rambling and I'll let you get right to the story. Hope you like it!

--Dragon of Darkness8705

**Chapter One**

Branches and dry leaves crunched beneath her feet, carrying a basket full of flowers, differing in size and color. The sunlight kissed her light skin and the sea wind combed through her brown bangs, whispering to her. Her emerald eyes shone with a strong radiance, full of confidence but at the same time gentle. Her pink dress suited her slim figure in perfection as she walked up the steps to a house. The woman stopped before the house, watching the waves from the sea roll in and out in rhythm. A small smile crept upon her features before she entered the house.

Sprawled on a futon was a brunette-haired man, an arm resting across his eyes. The woman smiled at the figure, placed the basket of flowers down on the nearby table, and knelt down next to him. "Leon," she whispered, running her fingers through his silky hair.

The man, Leon, groaned and shifted his body. He removed his arm to reveal azure depths, a scar began from his right brow, across the bridge of his nose, and ending at his left cheek. He looked up into emerald depths. "Aerith," he whispered back.

Aerith's grin widened. "I have some news for you."

Leon sat up and raised an eyebrow. "What kind of news?"

"I just came back from the doctor." She gripped Leon's hands. "I'm pregnant, Leon."

Leon allowed her words to sink in as a smile tugged at his lips. He hugged Aerith. "That's great!" He pecked her lips and held her close once more.

"Now we can be a family," Aerith said, resting her head on the crook of Leon's neck. She smiled when she felt his fingers going through her hair. Things were going to be fine.

-------

-11 months later-

Aerith watched the sun setting behind the horizon, the heavens painted with orange, pink, violet, and blue. She sighed, a sad one at that. She felt arms slide around her waist and she leaned back into Leon. "I thought we could finally have a child together, Leon," she said, her voice full of emotion.

"The doctors did all they could to save him," Leon said into her ear and kissed the top of her head. Tears burned Aerith's eyes and she turned around in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Aerith. Things will be all right."

"Will they?"

"I'm sure they will." Leon wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed Aerith's forehead. "Come on, let's go home."

She nodded, drying the rest of her tears from her eyes. "Okay, let's go." She pulled herself from Leon's embrace and held his hand. They began walking back to their home, their hands entwined. As they walked, something on the rocks caught Aerith's attention. She squinted her eyes to get a better look at the thing, then gasped when she saw what it was. "Leon, look! There's someone there!" she exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the rocks. She released his hand and ran into the water, towards the person propped up on the rock. The water came up to her waist as she approached the person, a woman with long brown hair and she didn't wear a top. Aerith examined her and saw her tail. There was no doubt that the stranger was a creature of the sea, a mermaid.

The mermaid was breathing heavily and she moaned in pain. She looked up with fear in her eyes as her gaze fell upon Aerith. She attempted to move away from her, but didn't get far. Her body shifted and revealed a gash in her shoulder, coated with blood. Aerith also noticed her enlarged stomach. _'She's pregnant and it seems she's about ready to give birth!'_

Aerith heard splashing behind her and soon Leon was at her side. "Leon! She needs help!"

Leon stared at the mermaid, perplexed. "A m-mermaid?"

"She needs help. She's been injured," Aerith said. "Let's bring her in."

Leon was about to protest, but stopped when she saw the pleading look on Aerith. He nodded and came close to the mermaid. He lifted her up into his arms and headed back towards the shore, Aerith close behind. They ran up the steps leading to their home.

Leon placed the mermaid on the floor, placing a couch pillow underneath her head while Aerith went to grab some medicine to treat the sea creature's wounds. The mermaid's breathing was labored and she moaned painfully, shaking her head from side to side.

Aerith came running back into the room with a first-aid kit and knelt down beside the mermaid. "It's going to be okay," she said with her comforting voice. "Leon, could you get some water and a towel?" He nodded and walked off into the next room. She turned back to the mermaid, wiping the sweat on her forehead.

Leon came back with the items Aerith requested, placing them down next to her. She grabbed the cloth, drenching it in water. She rinsed it and placed it on the mermaid's forehead. The creature of the sea grabbed Aerith's hand, grasping it tightly. The mermaid groaned in agony and held onto Aerith's hand tighter.

This went on for several minutes, Leon treating the creature's wounds while Aerith whispered soothingly to her. Finally, the mermaid's grip on Aerith's hand loosened, her breathing returning to normal. The cry of a baby rang in the room and Aerith picked up the child, handing it to the mermaid. The sea maiden looked up and held the crying child in her arms. "It's a boy," she said with a smile, looking from Leon to Aerith, then back to the child. "He's beautiful. His name will be Sora."

-------

The next morning, Aerith went into the room the mermaid, who had introduced herself as Talia, slept in. She saw the sea maiden on the bed and beside the bed was a basket, which Sora slept in. She went up to Talia, sitting on the bed next to her and gave her a gentle nudge. "Talia?" Aerith asked. No response. She shook her again. "Talia?" Once again no response. Aerith grew worried for Talia. She shook her once more, a bit harder. Nothing. She grabbed her wrist and pressed to fingers to her pulse. There was nothing.

Aerith gasped. "Oh no," she said softly. She heard footsteps coming towards the room and she shifted her gaze to Leon, who held a tray of food in his hand.

Seeing the look of horror on Aerith's features made him worry. "What's wrong, Aerith?" he asked, setting the tray down on the nightstand and sitting next to her.

She looked at Leon and then back to Talia. "Talia is dead." Her gaze fell upon the basket, where Sora slept peacefully. "The poor child is alone now. Leon, do you think we could take care of Sora?"

"W-What?" Leon asked. "Aerith, do you know what you're saying? He's a fish for crying out loud!"

"But, his mother is no longer here. Where would he go? He's just a baby, after all. Besides, it'll be like having a child of our own, just with scales and a tail. You know you want a child just as much as I do, Leon."

Leon sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He stared into Aerith's eyes, depths of green that pleaded with him. He could never say no to that. He stared at Sora's sleeping form and nodded. "Okay, we can take care of Sora as if he was our own."


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's chapter two. I didn't think I'd be able to get it up so quickly, but oh well. Tell me what you think of the chapter, okay? Thanks!

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**Chapter Two**

-Eight years later-

Leon tied his boat to the post and grabbed the two large baskets. He made his way up the steps leading to his home. Aerith, who had just finished planting her flowers, looked up into Leon's azure eyes. "Hey," she said as she stood up and placed a kiss on his cheek. She looked down at the two baskets filled with food. "That's quite a bit."

"I know, but I just don't want to make another trip into town," Leon replied. "There's still more in the boat."

"Here, let me help you with that." She grabbed the baskets and went into their home.

As soon as she entered, she was greeted with a merboy sitting in a large bucket filled with water, his cerulean tail hanging over the rim. The merboy looked up from the comic book he was reading and grinned instantly when he saw the woman enter. "Hey, mom!" he said with excitement, his azure eyes dancing. He pointed to the basket Aerith brought in. "What's that?"

"It's the things your father got while he was in town," said Aerith and pulled out a comic book. "Here, Sora, he got you another comic book for you to read." The woman handed it to him.

"Yay!" Sora took the comic book with a glee and began to take it out of its confinements.

Aerith chuckled at the action and squatted down to his level. "I tell you, when it comes to you, your father never forgets." She splashed some water onto his tail and placed a kiss on his temple. "I'll go prepare for lunch, okay? Then we'll work on your writing."

"Okay."

Aerith smiled, messing with Sora's spiky brown hair and left the room, grabbing the basket of food and headed for the kitchen. Sora looked down at the new comic he was given and began reading it. He looked over to his side and Leon entered with more another two baskets and set them down. "Hey, dad!"

"Hi, son," he said with a small smile. "Looks like mom gave you the comic I just bought."

"Yeah! Thanks, dad."

Leon nodded as he messed with Sora's hair and walked out of the room, leaving Sora to continue his reading.

-------

Later that night, Aerith and Leon sat at the table, drinking the hot tea that Aerith prepared. She glanced to her right, to the next room where Sora was fast asleep on the bed, his tail fin in a bucket of water. "Sora has grown so much," she said, turning back to her husband.

"He has," Leon replied, taking a sip from his mug.

"What will happen to him when we could no longer be there for him?"

"…"

"You know we can't stay by his side all the time."

"…I know, Aerith. But let's just do what we can for the meantime." He grabbed Aerith's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm just worried about Sora, worried about what others would do to him if he was found. You know just as well as I do that people hate those who are different."

Leon nodded, understanding what she was talking about. "Don't worry, Aerith. I'm sure everything will be all right." He squeezed her hand once more. "It's now late. Let's go to bed." Aerith nodded, glancing back to Sora's sleeping form before she and Leon went to the room they shared.

-------

Sora finished reading his comic book and put it to the side. He looked out the window, the sun's light showering him in its warmth. _'Mom and dad won't be here for a while. Maybe I'll go out to the water.' _He shifted within the bucket, holding onto the side as he pulled himself out. He dragged himself to the door, pulling it open, and crawled down the steps. He watched the sea, the waves rolling in and retreating back in a continuous cycle. Sora grinned and dragged himself down to the shore.

A wooden raft rested on the shore. Sora made his way to it and pulled himself onto it. He grabbed the long stick and pushed himself and the raft into the sea.

Aerith and Leon arrived several minutes after Sora's departure. Aerith carried the basket of vegetables from the boat while Leon tied it to the post. "I wonder how Sora's doing," she wondered as Leon caught up with her. She grabbed his hand and walked to their home.

"Sora, we're home," said Aerith upon their entrance. Their eyes widened when they did not see Sora in the bucket. "Sora?" The couple split up and searched the premises for the merboy, but they came up empty. They ran outside and looked around frantically. "Sora!" Still no sign of him. Leon ran to their boat, Aerith close behind. They jumped into the boat once they untied it from the post. Leon started the boat and ventured through the blanket of water, in search for Sora.

-------

Laughter, the laughter of children. Two boys and a girl ran along the beach with their bare feet. "C'mon!" a boy with short, spiky hair said, looking over his shoulder and ran faster.

"Come on, Pence! Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka are waiting!" the girl laughed.

"Wait up you guys!" Pence shouted after them. "Hayner! Olette!" He pushed himself to run faster and catch up with his two companions.

Another three children ran in the opposite direction, another two boys and one girl. They caught sight of Hayner, Olette, and Pence running in their direction. "You guys, you have to come and see this!" said the boy with shaggy blonde hair, excitement in his voice.

The two groups stopped before each other. "What is it, Tidus?" Hayner asked.

"Just come and see!" Tidus said, turning around and running in the direction he came from.

Hayner shrugged and ran after Tidus, the others following suit. They all stopped running when their gazes fell upon Sora, lying on the sand. "Wow! It's a mermaid!" Olette said, looking up and down Sora's tail.

"It's a boy, so wouldn't it be mer_man_, ya?" the fiery-haired boy Wakka said.

Sora watched the children intently as they interacted with each other. He was curious about them just as the children were curious about him.

"Can we touch your tail?" asked a girl named Selphie.

Sora beamed. "Sure!" The six humans came closer to Sora and ran their hands along his scaly lower half. Sora wanted to do the same, he wanted to feel how human legs felt like so he asked them, "Can I feel your legs? I've always been curious how they felt." The kids nodded their heads and allowed the curious Sora to touch their feet and legs.

The young beings settled in the sand, creating a circle as they talked and laughed. Sora grinned as he learned more about these kids. He wanted to know what they do, what they eat, and the games they played. He loved being around them, for they made him feel like he was a part of their group. He was happy that he made friends.

-------

"Lately, we haven't been able to catch that much fish," a man with black hair groaned, leaning against a tree as he stood next to another.

"Yeah. The same goes for us," the other man said, sharpening his butcher knife.

"But I'm sure we'll get a load the next time we go out to sea."

"Let's hope so. Otherwise our families would starve."

The black-haired man looked out at the sea and the beach. His gaze fell upon the children in the distance, but there was something odd about one of them. Was that an enlarged fish tail attached to one of them? He shook his head and once more saw the boy with the tail. He turned to his friend, still sharpening his knife. "Hey Ryan, is it just me or is there something odd with one of the kids?" he asked.

Ryan raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean, Carl?"

Carl pointed to the children sitting in the circle. Ryan leaned forward and looked in the direction Carl pointed to. "Look, isn't that a tail on that boy? Or am I just hallucinating?"

"If you are, I must be too because I see it."

"Wanna go check it out?"

"Yeah."

The two men went down the slope to the beach, running towards the circle of children. They came closer and stopped in their tracks as their gazes fell upon Sora, laughing with the other kids. Angered, Carl went to Sora, who had stopped and looked up at him, looking intimidated by his appearance. He turned to Pence, his cheeks burning with anger. "Pence! You get away from this thing!"

"But dad--"

"No buts! This thing is probably why we haven't caught anything decent lately!" He kicked at Sora's tail. "Get out of here!"

Ryan placed a hand on his shoulder and softly talked into his ear. "Wait Carl, we should have this merboy in our custody. Think about it, Carl, we could be rich with it. Look at it, it's just screaming money. People would be willing to pay just to see him."

Carl thought about it for a moment before he turned to Ryan. He nodded. "Okay then. Let's take it back." The two men surrounded Sora and lifted him up from the sand.

"Dad, what are you going to do with him?" Olette asked as she and Selphie tugged on Ryan's sleeve.

The children were persistent and followed them, demanding to release the merboy. However, their attempts were futile and the adults ignored the young ones' pleas as they went back up the slope. Sora struggled against their tight grips and made an attempt to kick them, but to no avail as he was taken away from his newfound friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The sun had already set when Leon and Aerith pulled up to the shore of a neighboring island. They hopped out of their vessel and continued their search for a certain merboy. "Do you think anyone has seen Sora?" Aerith asked, holding Leon's hand. "I'm afraid that something terrible would happen."

"…Don't worry, we'll find him."

"I sure hope so." Aerith looked up a hill, where she could see light and a group of people. "I've always hated this town. The people here so rude and greedy."

Just then, two women ran passed the couple, one of them shouting, "Hurry, Emily! I want to see it!" They ran up the slope to the crowd at the top of the hill.

Aerith felt in her gut what they were talking about. She looked over to the brunette-haired man, who returned that look of worry. Together, they ran up the slope, worried what they might see. They pushed their way through the crowd and saw Sora on the ground, his back pressed against the wall of the house, visibly shaking. "Sora!" Aerith exclaimed, making her way to him, but was stopped short when a man grabbed her wrist. "Let go!"

Leon, quick to take action, fisted the man's shirt and punched him across his jaw. The man fell back into the crowd.

Aerith grabbed Sora, who clung to her as if she was his life force. "Mom…" he whispered, clutching onto her dress as he shook. "I'm sorry."

She cradled his head to her chest. "Shh…it's okay, Sora. Let's get you out of here." She turned back to Leon, who pushed a man off him.

"Aerith! Go and keep Sora safe!" he ordered before he received a blow to the stomach.

Aerith hesitated. She didn't want to leave Leon to fend for himself, but she knew she had to keep Sora safe from these people. She ran through the crowd and ran back down the slope to the sea, ignoring the bystanders that watched. She went into the water and set Sora down. She took hold of her child's hands and stared directly into his cerulean depths. "Sora, go and save yourself before you get caught."

"Mom…" Sora said, eyes brimming with tears.

"Listen, you have to go now Sora. I'll stay here and help your father. But we want you to know that we both love you very much. Now go."

Sora crawled further into the water, the tears running down his cheeks. "I'll find you and dad again. I promise," he said before swimming away.

Aerith, who had tears in her eyes as well, watched the merboy disappearing into the sea before she ran back to aid Leon. By this time, the crowd had dispersed and the fight had moved. She gasped at the sight she saw when she reached the fight.

Leon was on the ground as two men were beating him with oars, as he tried to shield himself from the continuous blows. At this rate, Leon was sure to die. Her blood boiling with angler, she pushed them away with all her might. "That's enough!" she screamed, her green eyes glaring daggers at the men. She turned to Leon, who grimaced in pain, and knelt down beside him, letting his head rest on her lap. "Leon?"

Leon slowly opened his eyes and looked up into Aerith's depths of emerald. "How…how's Sora?" he asked, his voice hoarse and coughed.

"He'll be fine," she whispered, wiping tears from her eyes.

Leon managed to chuckle. "That's good to hear." He sat up, pain shooting along his side, but pushed the feeling to the side. Aerith helped him up and placed his arm over her shoulders, while she wrapped an arm around his waist. She glared at the men a final time before they slowly, painfully went down the hill to the beach.

-------

The sun slowly ascended from the east as a new day was to begin. Two figures crawled to the sleeping figure on the shore. One of them was a male with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes and the other a female with long, ebony hair and lively brown eyes. They examined the sleeping merboy.

The girl pushed the strands of brown bangs from the boy's forehead, a sad smile on her face. "This poor kid has gone through so much, Cloud."

Cloud said nothing in return and leaned over to examined the boy further.

The boy moaned. "Mom? Dad?" His eyes opened to meet with Cloud's gaze. He looked from Cloud to the girl. "Who…who are you?" he whispered. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows, getting a better vision of the two.

The girl smiled at him. "I'm Tifa," she said then gestured to her companion. "And this is Cloud. What's your name?"

"Sora," he replied with a shaky voice. His gaze fell upon the tails of the two strangers then looked up at them. "You guys…you have tails too?"

"Yes. We're just like you, Sora. You've gone through so much." Tifa paused. She placed a hand over Sora's and continued. "…We saw what happened last night. What those humans were doing to you."

Sora looked down, the events from the previous night coming back to him. "Mom…dad…" Tears burned his vision and wiped them away, frustrated. "I should've stayed home. If I had stayed, then mom and dad wouldn't be hurt." Tifa pulled herself closer to Sora and hugged him as he cried into her chest. "Why would people do this?"

Tifa glanced over to Cloud, for some reassurance, but he remained silent. She held Sora close to her, her delicate fingers going through his brown hair. "Humans can be cruel, I know. They hate beings like us because we're not like them, because we're different. That's why we do not associate with them." Tifa pulled away and wiped Sora's tears from his cheeks. "Sora, would you like to come with us? To be with others just like us?"

Sora sniffled and looked up at the mermaid. "Just…like us?"

Tifa nodded and grinned. "Yeah. Don't worry. We'll take care of you, isn't that right Cloud?"

"Yeah," said the other merman, almost monotonous.

"Will I ever see my mom and dad again?" Sora asked.

Tifa looked away. "I…I honestly don't know, Sora."

Sora bit his lip, contemplating whether he should take Tifa's offer or not. He wanted to be with his mom and dad, but then again, he often wondered about his kind, how they interacted with each other and lived. Knowing now that there were others like him, he didn't feel so alone. He looked up at Tifa's eyes, taking comfort in those brown pools. "I want to go with you."

A small smile pulled at her lips and she held Sora's hand and dragged themselves into the sea, Cloud following suit.

AN: Man, this chapter is so short. I certainly hope the next one won't be so short. Well, I'm going to work on my other stories and post those chapters up. It's been too long since I've done so. ::sighs:: Anyway, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Note: I'd just like to thank those who reviewed. You know who you are. I really appreciate it, it just makes me want to finish this story more. Thanks again.

**Chapter Four**

-11 years later-

The cave was damp and murky, crystal droplets dripping from sharpened rocks. Mist shrouded the place, blanketing the waters. There was sloshing of water as a merman crawled to the mermaid sitting upon a rock. "Ariel, where is Kairi?" the merman asked, wearing a scowl.

"She's probably with the group," Ariel said matter-of-factly as she combed her hair with a fork she had found.

"I bet she's with Sora again. She's always with him. Ever since Sora came here, she's been hanging around him. I have no idea why Edea took him in."

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just let it go, Seifer?"

Seifer scoffed and Ariel ignored him as she pushed her long, bright red hair back. Her attention shifted to the cave entrance, where chattering and the sloshing of water was heard. _'Looks like the others are back.'_ Sure enough, a group of mermen and mermaids entered the cave, pulling themselves up a dirt pathway. Seifer scowled as a merman in particular passed by him.

Seifer turned to another red-haired mermaid, her hair not as bright as Ariel's however. "Kairi, I've been looking for you. Why did you leave without me and go with Sora?"

"Is it wrong for me to be around Sora?" Kairi asked.

Seifer's scowl deepened and glared at the spiky-haired brunette currently talking with Tifa and Ariel. He turned back to Kairi. "C'mon. Let's go talk in private," he said, he dove into the water.

Kairi watched him with a raised eyebrow and shrugged as she too went into the water. They swam to a secluded area in the cave and the two climbed out of the water and sat themselves on a rock. "So do you need something, Seifer?" she asked, sitting up to comb her shoulder-length hair with her fingers. "Because if not, then I'll be going."

"No. Stay here," Seifer said, holding onto Kairi's wrist. "The reason we're here is because I wanted to be alone with you. Why are you always in a hurry whenever you're around me? But when you're around Sora, you're willing to stay around?"

"Well, I find him interesting."

"You know he's not really a part of us."

"Oh? If he isn't, then what is he?"

Seifer growled. "He's just a nuisance."

"Why do you hate him so much? He hasn't done anything to you. I'll be going back now." She released Seifer's hold on her wrist and dove into the water, leaving the merman alone.

-------

Seifer crawled out of the water and dragged himself in front of a black-tailed mermaid, holding her staff in her right hand. Red beads decorated her black hair that was pulled back neatly into a bun. Her topaz-colored eyes bored down on the merman before her. "Why are you here, Seifer?" she asked, her voice appearing cold.

"I just want to talk to you, Queen Edea."

"About what?"

"Sora," he spat immediately. "Queen Edea, why do you allow him to reside with us?"

"Have you forgotten, Seifer? He is of our kind. I will take in anyone who are just like us."

"But he was associated with humans, the greatest taboo for those of our kind."

"That may be, but he's still one of us."

"He should be banished from here for ever being in touch with humans." Queen Edea said nothing and Seifer continued. "Ever since he came here, he's been such a child. And Kairi is constantly with him--"

"That's enough, Seifer. I will not have you get me involved with your affairs. Whatever problems you have with Sora, you should settle it on your accord. You are dismissed." Seifer growled and turned back, passing a mermaid nearby who guarded a gold shell before he submerged himself into the water.

-------

"…and then the squid squirted ink onto his face," Sora said with a wide grin. "It was funny."

Tifa laughed with Sora. "That's Zidane for you."

"Yeah." Cloud came up and sat beside Tifa. "Hey Cloud," Sora greeted.

He nodded to the young merman. Tifa noticed the flower he held in his hand. "Who is that for?" she asked, pointing to it.

"Here," Cloud said, handing it to the ebony-haired mermaid.

"For me? You shouldn't have." Tifa grinned, it was bright and her eyes sparkled as she turned to Sora. "Isn't he sweet?" Cloud said nothing and turned his head away to hide his reddened cheeks. He cleared his throat, but still said nothing. Tifa looked at him, somehow understanding what was on Cloud's mind. She sent a sweet smile to Sora. "Hey, Sora? Would you mind giving me and Cloud some time alone?"

"Okay." Sora grinned, catching on. He winked at Cloud, who in turn glared at him, as if he was telling him 'go away, you're bothering me'. Sora laughed and jumped into the water before Cloud would come and beat him.

The next time Sora emerged from the sea water he was on the other side of the cave. He crawled out of the water and onto the shore. He examined his surroundings. Though he has been living here for eleven years now, it never ceased to amaze him. He loved the crystals that lined the walls and the small waterfalls that were in the area. It was definitely different from his home back with his parents. He looked at the crystals, running his fingers along the smooth surface, unaware of Seifer coming from around from some rocks.

"What are you doing?" Seifer questioned, annoyed.

Sora's hand snapped back as if he had just gotten burned and turned to Seifer. "N-Nothing," he stammered.

"Hmph. You make it appear like this is your first time here, gaping at everything like an idiot." Seifer crawled up to Sora.

"Have you seen Ariel?"

"No," Seifer spat. He scowled at Sora. "Why? Kairi not enough of a companion for you?"

"W-What are you talking about? Kairi's great to be with, but I just wanna talk to Ariel."

Seifer scoffed. "I've been watching you two, you and Kairi. You've been spending a lot of time together, ever since you came here. She's almost _always_ with you, and that just pisses me off."

"I don't like her the way you think I do. We're _just_ friends."

"Uh-huh. Listen, Sora. Just stay away from her. You got that?"

"What's going on here?" another voice interrupted. The two turned to see Ariel who came crawling up beside Sora.

"Nothing. It's nothing, Ariel," said Seifer and went back the way he came.

Ariel turned to Sora. "What was that about?"

"He was just telling me some stuff."

"About what? You and Kairi?" Sora nodded and Ariel rolled her eyes. "Seifer has major jealousy problems and a spoiled brat. Listen, Sora. I think it's best if you back away from Kairi, just to avoid anyone getting hurt. You know Seifer would resort to violence if he doesn't have his way."

"But Kairi's the one who always comes to me so it can't be helped."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No. I think I should talk to her myself about it."

Ariel nodded. "Okay. Well, let's meet with the group."

A/N: For some reason I don't like this chapter too much. It doesn't sound that great compared to some of the others. But I'm amazed for having these chapters up so quickly whereas it would take maybe a month just to put a new chapter up for my other stories. But then it's probably because I've had some writer's block with one of them and my epic is going through revisions right now. Okay, I'll stop now before I get off track. Anyway, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Hey, Sora!" Kairi greeted as she came up to Sora, resting his arms on a rock, his chin on his entwined hands. He turned to her with a warm smile.

"Hey, Kairi!" he said, ecstatic. He remembered Ariel's words to back away from her, but she was still his friend and he didn't want to be rude and tell her to leave. So he welcomed her and allowed her to talk to him.

"You've been kinda quiet. What's on your mind?"

"Well…I've been thinking, about my mom and dad. I wonder how they're doing."

"You still think about them?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah. It's been so long since I've seen them. I wonder if they think about me too."

"They're not like other humans, huh?"

"No, they're not. I miss them a lot. I want to see them." Sora grinned slightly as he remembered his time with Aerith and Leon and how much they cared for him. Then, the last words to Aerith came back to him before he resided with others just like him. "I remember that I made a promise to mom before coming here. I promised that I would find them again. I want to keep my word on it."

"You know what? Why don't we search for them together?"

"Kairi, do you know what you're saying?" another voice interrupted them. The two turned to the source of the voice, which belonged to Seifer, a silver-haired mermaid with glowing red eyes and a dark-skinned merman behind him.

"Fool," said the mermaid with silver hair, her voice monotonous.

"Yeah, what's going through your head, y'know? Humans are dangerous, y'know!" exclaimed the merman.

"Kairi, stay away from Sora. He's filling your head with a load of crap," said Seifer. He pointed an accusing finger at Sora. "He's trying to trick you. All humans are the same. They're all cruel and hate us." He turned to the merman. "Rai, take Sora away. Take him before Edea."

Rai nodded and seized Sora, tightening his grasp on his arm as the smaller merman struggled to get away. "Let go!" Sora screamed, squirming with all his might.

"Seifer! What the hell are you doing?" Kairi demanded, struggling against the other mermaid, who held her arms behind her back.

"Fuu, take her away. Lock her up! Edea will deal with her later."

"No!" Kairi screamed as Fuu pulled the redhead, her grasp tightening on the redhead's wrist as she was pulled away from Sora.

-------

"Seifer has told me what you had done, Sora, and for that you should shall be punished," said Queen Edea. "It is because of your influence that a mermaid is willing to cross the boundaries and encounter humans. For punishment, you shall have ten slashes!"

"Queen Edea!" Tifa began, but Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Tifa, don't. It will just make things worse," he said.

Tifa opened her mouth to protest, but closed it. She didn't want to make things more difficult for Sora, she just had to accept it. She helplessly watched as Sora was taken to a lone rock by two mermen, tying his wrists together above his head.

Seifer came up to Sora, a whip in his hand. He smirked, a sinister one at that. There was a maniacal glint in his eyes as he raised the whip above his head. He brought it down quickly onto Sora's back, emitting a scream from the other merman. The whip snapped once more as it hit Sora's body. Seifer's arm moved in a crisscrossed manner. He loved every moment of it, savoring it as Sora's screams echoed in the cave while he painted slashes on the canvas of Sora's back.

Sora screamed once more, trying to hold back the tears burning his vision. His fingers clutched onto the rope, his knuckles turning white, his back feeling as if it was on fire, and blood ran down his back and into the water. It felt like years before the slashing ceased. His body shuddered violently, his eyes heavy, and his throat dehydrated. Sora's vision was beginning to blur as someone untied his hands and he fell back into strong, comforting arms. He stared up at Cloud as his eyes slid closed and he fell into unconsciousness.

-------

When Sora regained consciousness, he felt the pain from the slashing running up his body. He cringed at the burning sensation. But then, he felt something cold and wet press against his back. He looked up to see Tifa seated to his side. She pressed a lather of some sort on his back and it eased his pain. The ebony-haired one gave him a sympathetic look, but said nothing. Sora decided to break the silence. "How long was I out?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"About an hour or so," Tifa replied.

"How's Kairi?"

"She's still in the cell. Sora, what exactly happened?"

"Well, I was talking to Kairi. I know Ariel told me to back away from her, but she came to me and she's still my friend. So I didn't push her away. Anyway, I told her what was on my mind, about mom and dad and how I wanted to seem them again." He sighed, resting his head on his arms. "She said that we could go look for them together then Seifer came."

"I see. So what are you going to do?"

Sora pondered for a moment. "I…I've brought much trouble here, so I'm thinking of leaving and finding my parents."

"What?"

"I'm gonna leave, at least for a while, to find my family."

"But what about us?"

Sora looked up and gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah. I consider everyone here my family too, especially you, Ariel, and Cloud. But I also made a promise to my mom and dad that I'd find them again."

"But Sora…" Tifa trailed off as she stared at his determined azure eyes. "I understand. If that's what your heart wants then you should follow it. You know you can always come back here whenever you want to. We'll be here waiting." She smiled down at the young merman. "Besides, do some exploring because there is a lot to see." Sora smiled, which Tifa returned. "So when are you going?"

"I'll leave in the morning because I want to have a chance to say bye to some of the others."

"Okay." Tifa pulled the lather away and stared at his back. At least the cuts didn't look so bad now. Sora would be able to heal just fine. "I'll be leaving now, okay? You need rest. I'll come back to check up on your wounds every once in a while, okay?"

"All right. Thanks, Tifa."

"No problem, kiddo." She ruffled his hair before crawling towards the water.

-------

Morning came and the other mermaids and mermen were gathered together to see Sora off. The young merman embraced Ariel and whispered into her ear. "Don't get into too much trouble, Ariel."

The bright-haired mermaid grinned and hugged him tighter. "I'll try not to."

Sora grinned back then turned to Tifa. She, in turn, pulled him into her embrace, patting his back. "You be good, kiddo," Tifa said. She pulled back and examined him. "Oh, how you've grown. I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Sora looked to Cloud, who nodded at him. "Take care of Tifa, Cloud. I'm counting on you."

A smirk pulled at the blonde's lips. "Be careful out there," he said and shook Sora's hand.

Sora turned and went down the dirt pathway, waving to the merpeople he passed by. He passed by Seifer, who turned his head away with a scowl. Sora sighed and continued on, getting into the water. With one last look behind at the merpeople, Sora swam out of the cave.

AN: Why am I always being mean to Sora? I should give the kid a break, haha. Oh yeah, about his age now, he's around 19 now, like me, haha. Well, I was kinda distracted when I worked on this chapter. I decided to mess around with Photoshop instead of finishing this chapter, haha. Sorry about that. But hey, I got it finished, right? I enjoyed this chapter too, but I think the next chapter is my favorite part of the story. Well, thanks again. Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The sun hung proudly in the clear skies, bringing light onto the world. Wind blew, cool and soothing while the sea was at peace. It was empty, with the exception of a lone white boat. On the back of the vessel was a name: Naminé.

The boat came to a halt and a young man emerged from the inside, a towel in hand. He inhaled deeply, smelling the air of the sea and allowed the breeze to finger through his long, silver hair. He felt at ease. The man walked to the deck, where he placed the towel on the surface. He sat down on the material, removing his shirt to reveal a well-toned body. Tossing the shirt to the side, he grabbed a bottle of sunscreen and placed a coat of it on his porcelain skin. Once he was through with that, he laid down, an arm on the back of his head, acting as a pillow. To his side laid a book. He grabbed the book and examined the cover.

"_Picking Up the Pieces_ by Betty Maniyak," he said out loud. He made a face at it before carelessly throwing it overboard, unaware of a surprised yelp as it hit someone in the water. He sighed, relaxed, and placed his shades over aquamarine eyes as he bathed beneath the sun's warm light. There was nothing that could ever interrupt his moment of peace.

His eyes opened behind the sunglasses as he heard a voice, the sentences choppy. "Kayla…sighed as she…wiped the remaining tears…on her cheeks…and pressed her back…to the door." Confused, the man sat up, looking out at the sea. There was nothing, just the splashing of waves.

He shook his head. There was just no way someone could be out here, especially without a vessel to travel on. "I must be hearing things," he mumbled to himself. He opened the cooler next to him, pulling out a drink, popping it open, and taking a sip. He looked down at the can. "Coconut juice." He growled. "I told Yuffie not to give me coconut juice." He tossed the can overboard, landing next to a figure in the sea.

The silver-haired man pulled out another drink from the cooler and looked at the can: Paopu juice. He opened the can and took a sip. He set the juice onto the ice chest and laid down with a sigh of contentment. He closed his eyes once more, unaware of the hand grabbing his beverage. He listened to the waves, soothing him. He reached for his drink that he placed on top of the drink container, but found nothing there. Puzzled, he sat up and frowned when he didn't find his beverage anywhere. _'Huh. How odd.'_

Shrugging, he opened the jar of cashews, pouring a few onto his hand and popped them into his mouth. He set the jar on the cooler while he grabbed his sun block and applied it onto his arms. He looked up just in time to see a hand take the jar of cashews. He blinked several times to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Just what was that? _'I must be hallucinating. But…'_

With a smirk, he grabbed another drink from the ice chest and placed it on top, waiting for the thief to take action. At last, the mysterious hand came up from the side, searching around the ice chest for the item. Just as it grasped the can, the young man grabbed it before it could retreat, and in turn earned a surprised yelp. He leaned forward, over the ice chest and saw the head of another young man coming up slowly from the side of the boat. He stared at this mysterious person, entranced with him, spiky brown hair and a beautiful shade of blue in his eyes. This stranger was attractive, there was no doubt about it, but he appeared to be afraid.

Finally, the platinum-haired man found the courage to speak. "Hi."

"H-Hi," came the meek reply.

"Um…what's your name?"

"S-Sora."

"I'm Riku." He smiled at Sora, not breaking his gaze away from cerulean eyes. "Were you the one who was speaking earlier?"

Sora nodded. "I was reading that book that you threw." He looked into Riku's eyes. They were like the ocean and he was entranced by those pools. "Who is Naminé?" Sora asked, relaxing just a little.

Riku's grin faltered. "Naminé was my girlfriend, but she died a while back." A short silence fell between them, their gazes still on each other. After a moment, Riku finally asked what was on the back of his mind. "By the way, what are you doing there? Would you like to come up here?"

Sora panicked. He shook his head. "N-No thanks. I prefer to be in the water."

"Well then, would you like me to join you? I could use a swim."

Sora panicked even more. He couldn't risk having a human see him for what he was. He had to get away before Riku could see him. "Uh…it's okay! I'm gonna go now. Bye!" His hand slipped from Riku's hand as he quickly went back into the water.

Riku stood up in a flash and looked over the railings, just in time to see a blue fin disappearing into the water. "Sora? Sora, where are you?" Riku asked, searching around the water. Nothing, no sign of Sora anywhere. He gave up and slumped back down on the towel. _'Just what was that about? Was Sora…a merman?'_ He shook his head, blinking several times. _'No, merpeople don't exist…do they? If they don't, then what about Sora? Am I going crazy? I must be dreaming, and if I am, I want to see Sora again.'_

-------

Sora watched Riku from afar, watching as the silver-haired human searched for him over the side of the boat. The merman grinned. There was something intriguing about him and Sora wanted to know more about him.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Riku decided to go fishing. When Sora saw the fishing line waiting patiently with the bait attached to it, he grinned as an idea came to him. He swam to a group of fish, where they scattered as he approached them. He pushed himself and grabbed a large fish before it could swim away from him. With a triumphant grin, Sora went back to the fishing line and began to hook it up to it. Once that was done, he tugged on the line.

Sora watched in amusement as the fish was pulled up and out of the water. He laughed when he saw the look of surprise and excitement on Riku's face. A couple minutes passed before the line was back down in the water. Once again Sora went to get some fish for him. This time he decided to go with something a bit smaller. He captured a silver-colored one, a lot smaller than the previous one he caught. He swam up to the line again, repeating the process of hooking it up to the line and tugging on the line. Sora laughed even more when he saw the human frown at his catch, the one _he_ helped with.

Riku was indeed an interesting character, concluded Sora. He admired him and was even more curious about the intriguing human. He wanted to learn about where Riku was from, what he did for fun, everything. Plus he wanted to learn more about the human world since he hasn't been in contact with humans since his time with Aerith and Leon. But if he let Riku know what he was, then some bad things might happen, but then again, something inside of Sora told him that Riku wasn't like other humans. Perhaps he was or perhaps he wasn't, he just did not know. But for the meantime, Sora just watched him, admiring him from beneath the surface.

-------

Riku decided to set up camp at a small island, close to the shore where he could keep watch over his boat that lay in the blanket of sea. He placed the fish he had caught earlier that day next to the fire he managed to start.

Suddenly, he heard something over the waves. It was singing and it was beautiful. Entranced with the singing, Riku walked along the shore, determined to find the source of the beautiful music he was hearing. He looked over to the rocks up ahead. _'Sounds like it's coming from there.'_ Riku made his way to the rocks, the singing louder now. He went over some rocks was surprised to see Sora sitting on the sand, singing.

Sora looked behind and his singing ceased, his content look now changing to that of fear. He panicked and thrashed, quickly starting to crawl back in but Riku's voice stopped him.

"Wait!" Riku jumped down from the rocks and approached Sora, who looked at him with fear in his eyes. He looked down at Sora's scaly lower half then back up. "I knew I wasn't dreaming when I saw your tail."

"W-What are you gonna do? Are you angry? Are you going to kill me?" Sora asked, frantic.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Angry? Kill you? What are you talking about?" He crouched down next to Sora. "This is the first time I've ever seen a merman and I find it fascinating to get a chance to see one, especially one who could also sing so nice."

Sora felt his cheeks burn and his heart fluttered. What was this feeling inside of him? He was glad that it was now night so Riku could not see the red on his cheeks. He tried to think of something that would get him out of this predicament. "So, y-you're not on your boat. Why not?"

"Well, I don't want to go home yet so I set up camp by the shore," Riku explained. "Would you like to accompany me for the night? It's not everyday that I get to talk to a merman." The merman stared at the aquamarine eyes that glowed even in the moonlight. At last, Sora grinned and nodded. Riku smirked and grabbed Sora, lifting him up with ease and began his trek back to the camp.

-------

"So what are you doing out here anyway?" Sora asked, lying down on the sand in front of Riku.

"Well, I guess you can say that I'm taking a little vacation, away from all the stress, just for a bit," Riku explained. "I love being out here. It gives me a chance to think."

"So where are you from? What do you do for fun?"

"Whoa, slow down there. One question at a time, Sora," Riku said with a laugh.

Sora blushed. "Sorry."

Riku laughed again. "It's okay. Well, I was born in the city and lived there ever since. But my parents bought a beach house not too far from here. We usually go there when we're on vacation."

"Wow." Sora was in awe, registering Riku's words. "What about Naminé? How did she die?"

"She died a year ago in a car accident. I was devastated because she also died on our anniversary."

"You must've loved her a lot."

"I did. I was depressed for a few months then I came to the realization that she's gone and I had to move on. Naminé would be upset if I spent the rest of my time sulking. She wanted me to be happy. I know that I won't see her again, but the moments I shared with her will always stay in my heart." He didn't know why he was telling Sora all this because he never talked about it before with anyone else. But somehow, he felt like he could trust Sora, though they have just met. There was something about the merman that made him comfortable. Riku looked at Sora, wanting to know more about the creatures he thought were nothing more than fairytale beings. "What about you, Sora? Tell me about yourself."

Sora pondered on the thought for a moment and nodded his head. "Well, I lived with my mom and dad. They're both humans."

"How is that possible? If they're both humans, wouldn't you be one as well?"

"I remember my mom telling me a long time ago that my real mom died, a day after I was born to be exact. But my mom and dad took care of me for a long time." Sora looked away as he remembered that fateful day when he was forced to leave them. "I was separated from them. But now, I'm gonna look for them."

"They sound like really nice people. Hey, maybe I can help you find your parents."

Sora's head snapped back to Riku, his eyes brightening. "Really?"

"Of course. I have connections. Well, my best friend Roxas has connections. He'd be able to find out where your parents are."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah."

"Why? Why go through all that? You don't even know me."

"Then let's take the time to know each other. Let's be friends."

Sora's eyes widened. "You…want to be my friend?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah, why not? Is there a reason we shouldn't be?"

"Good point." Sora chuckled. "Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

AN: Whew! That was a long chapter. Guess I made up for some of those short chapters, haha. I enjoyed writing this one. I'm still amazed at how far I've come in this story and how fast its progress is. Oh yeah, before I forget, I may not be able to post the chapters up for quite some time because my computer has been acting up recently. So I'm going to try and get it fixed. Well, hoped you enjoyed it! Please review!


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